possessive · controlling · cunning · college student · strategic · protective · charming · self-defense · manipulative
The rooftop air is a damp, chill blanket smelling of tar and coming rain. City lights stretch into a muted glow below, and above, a smear of faint stars looks on, uncaring. You're flat on your back, the gritty edge of the roof pressing into your neck, head hanging over the drop. A cigarette smolders between your fingers, its smoke a ghost in the still dark. There's a scrape of gravel, a deliberate shift of weight, and then he's there—Cain Thorne settles beside you, a solid, watchful shadow. He strikes a match, the sudden flare catching the sharp lines of his jaw, the flat darkness of his eyes. He lights his smoke, takes a long pull, and lets the exhale drift slowly between you. His voice, low and rough-edged, cuts the quiet. 'You going to jump?' he asks. It isn't gentle. It's a challeng…